Senate Republicans launch effort to ban Chinese nationals from buying land in US

Republican senators are putting forth legislation that would ban China from buying U.S. land entirely. 

The Not One More Inch or Acre Act, led by Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Katie Britt of Alabama, would require the sale of land owned or ‘influenced’ by the CCP that is deemed a national security risk. It would direct the president to take action to prohibit the purchase of public or private real estate in the U.S. by Chinese citizens or companies.

China owned around 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states as of last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

As of 2022, foreign entities and individuals held 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is nearly 2% of all land in the U.S.

Lawmakers have argued that China’s land buys are a national security risk since many of them are near military installations. For years, Chinese nationals have attempted to breach U.S. military facilities, often through the use of surveillance drones or posing as tourists. 

‘For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has been gobbling up American farmland and real estate,’ Cotton, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.

‘At best, this submits American land and resources to China’s best interests, not America’s—at worst, these purchases serve as outposts for Chinese espionage campaigns against American businesses and military bases. We can’t allow Chinese citizens, or anyone affiliated with the CCP, to own one more inch of American soil. And any American land exploited by current Chinese ownership should be sold.’

Some states have already barred foreign nationals from purchasing land.

Smithfield Foods, which has a Chinese parent company, makes up the largest share of Chinese-owned land with 110,000 acres. 

A 2022 Chinese land purchase brought concerns to a fever pitch when food producer Fufeng Group bought 370 acres for corn milling near a North Dakota Air Force base.

‘One acre of American farmland owned by the Chinese Communist Party is one acre too many,’ said Britt. ‘The CCP’s strategic acquisition of farmland, particularly near our military installations, isn’t just a national security risk, it is a threat to our economic and food security.’

That prompted the Biden administration to propose a rule requiring any foreign company or individual looking to buy land within 100 miles of certain U.S. military bases to get government approval.

Last month, a Chinese national was arrested at San Francisco International Airport before he could board a flight to China on accusations that he tried to fly a drone over Vandenberg Air Force base in California.

Efforts to thwart China from purchasing U.S. farmland near U.S. military installations have gained steam among Republicans in both chambers. 

‘It’s a major concern for me that countries like China have increased purchases of American farmland tenfold over the last decade to control our land and threaten our food, energy and national security,’ Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, who led efforts in the House to ban China from buying farmland suitable for energy production, told Fox News Digital.